Barrington
Stoke Teen books assure us that their publications are
tested for children and young people by children and young people. I found
the prose and storyline in this title clear and succinct, making it more
readable for its audience than the language of the classic edition.
Jane Eyre’s feelings of not being loved or wanted,
and not belonging anywhere, are perfectly encapsulated in the simple prose. Her
torturous life, the reminded charity of her Aunt and the demonic cruelty of Cousin
John at Gatehead, are recalled.
The endless physical bullying and her courageous confronting
of John, see Jane sent to Lowood, the
charity school for orphans. Although deprived of everything, her time there
secures her an education which leads to a position as governess at Thornfield Hall, the isolated home of the surly and broody Mr Rochester. It
also gives birth to other unexpected emotions.
But mystery surrounds Rochester. A secret withheld
from Jane about the unrevealed resident at Thornton Hall threatens their lives.
It is Jane’s resilience, faith, love and charity – all the things that were
never shown to her, that draw her to the astonishing climax.
Jane
Eyre is my all-time favourite piece of classic
literature. Reading it again without the stilted Victorian English gave me
great pleasure.
Even if you have read Jane Eyre, this edition will delight. I’m convinced that young readers
who have avoided approaching any works of literature, now will embrace them and
perhaps reach for the originals for comparison. I’m hoping that other classic titles
will follow in a similar vein so that the beauty of those writings reaches a
wider audience.
Themes of love, bullying, poverty and personal restoration
are plaited together in this moving retelling.
Title:
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre: A Retelling
Author:
Tanya Landman
Publisher:
Allen & Unwin, $14.99
Publication
Date: February 2020
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9781781129128
For
ages: 11+
Type:
Fiction
